Santa Fe's Red Letter Records has released its first compilation CD and will celebrate that fact by hosting a party at Warehouse 21 (1614 Paseo de Peralta). Bands performing include oneDOWN, The Hollis Wake, Raine Vivian, Enigmatik and Brian Botkiller, all of whom are featured on the disc. Admission is $1, or $5 for admission and a copy of the CD. The release contains 19 tracks by mostly northern New Mexico bands representing about every rock genre imaginable. Find more information at www.redletterrecords.org. ... In other local CD news, newly formed bluegrass troupe Raising Cane have released their debut, and The Foxx have added three tracks to their 2003 EP, dropped some dough on cover art and released a proper album. Look for both at local-music friendly record stores all over town. ... On a sad note, Club Rhythm & Blues will close—by all indications for good—on Monday, Jan. 31. The Nob Hill establishment has been a haven for local blues and roots musicians for the past seven years and has hosted its share of national touring acts as well. Club manager and local blues legend John Patrick Nieto cites a sputtering economy as the main reason behind the closure. It's a sad ending to yet another chapter of Albuquerque's music history. ... On a painful note, Black Maria bassist Brian Banks slipped and fell last week, breaking Gordon Andersen's pen ... no, wait ... he broke his own tibia in three places. He's scheduled to spend this week hopped up on morphine while getting to know the three screws and metal plate that have a new home in his leg.

What is it about siblingdom that intensifies musical collaboration? Its a decades-old phenomenon that has left its mark on nearly every genre imaginable, but perhaps none as deeply as rock music and its seemingly endless personalities. And while one group of Texas brothers, Los Lonely Boys, seem to be receiving the highest percentage of accolades for their Latin-infused, blues-drenched rock, there's a pair of Texas-bred brothers, who, along with a singer who fancies himself the Latino Steven Tyler and a drummer, bassist and percussionist that are capable of putting most other rhythm sections to shame, are quietly and methodically taking the rock and world music stages by storm one by one.

Andrew BirdThe Mysterious Production of Eggs(Righteous Babe)

Since extinguishing his Bowl of Fire, Andrew Bird has come on strong as a viciously talented singer-songwriter or the Randy Newman stripe. The Mysterious Production of Eggs comes two years after Bird's debut solo outing, Weather Systems, confounded Bowl of Fire fans and won Bird an entire cache of new ones. According to Bird, the new album was scrapped three times and re-recorded in as many different studios. But whether he's just a perfectionist or a pretentious, obsessed manic-depressive, the guy has made an incredible record—the best of his career.

Love Bites • Vampire Ball • goth, electro, industrial, '80s

By The Intern

If putting on something dressy and all black is your forte, boy do we have an event for you. Effex's vampire's ball entitled Love Bites commences at 9pm this Thursday, Feb. 22. All those over 21 should prepare for a gory good time for just $2! Enter a raffle for $1 to sink your claws into a set of Kustom Fitted Fangs, Vampyre Tea Company's organic tea and more. Accompany fellow vampires and goths for a night of '80s electro and EDM music. Show off your best tripp pants and other dark wave looks in a costume contest to win bloody good prizes, attract eager victims and dance the night away—but not too late because you may turn into dust.

Prism Bitch • punk • Shitty and the Terribles • garage • Gerunding

By August March

Let's be clear: the premier psych-y, slithery rocanrol event of February takes place at (where else) the Launchpad on Friday, Feb. 23. That's when local, sultry sound stars and de facto leaders of the soulful garage rock unit of this city's scene, Prism Bitch take the stage to blind 21+ locals with sonic and spectral divination from the mouths of prison-bound purveyors followed by no-wave Shitty and the Terribles complete with Nueva York style aggression and power chords. Whatever, it's $7 and they totally rock. And psych-pop pronunciators Gerunding (everything they sing ends in -ing, one hopes) open up this super psychedelic can of worms that are actually magic mushrooms that are actually … oh my gawd, you better go and see for yourself at 9pm.

Work up your courage or down a few beers this Saturday, Feb. 24 at Duel Brewing and take the stage for the The Open Bra, a bi-monthly burlesque improv competition. Performers are assigned a song at the beginning of the evening, and then hit the stage to enchant the audience and judges Miss Behavin, Mayo Lua de Frenchie and Annie O'Roar. And hey, if you're too nervous to take a turn dancing, you still get to weigh in on runner-up and winner slots as a member of the kowtowing crowd. This free, 21+ doors at 8pm and the event begins at 9pm. Plan on staying late for a dance party afterwards.